Happy with our repairs service?
If you are a resident and you have had a repair done recently, will you help us to monitor satisfaction with the service? Click here to compete a survey form.
Not Tenancies But Still Secure
Yardley Great Trust is an almshouse charity and cannot grant tenancies. However, the trustees ensure through policies and procedures that all residents are treated fairly and have rights equivalent to tenants. The Trust observes and endorses “Standards of Almshouse Management”, published by the Almshouse Association, which sets standards for almshouse charities to observe. Residents can expect to live in their home for as long as they want, providing they pay the weekly charge on time and show due consideration for neighbours.
Management & Arrangement
The Trust’s Housing Manager, Lynn Bailey, is responsible to the trustees for ensuring that the Trust’s sheltered housing is well managed and maintained and that residents are supported appropriately. Lynn is assisted in this by scheme managers, all of whom live and/or work on the development for which they have reponsibility.
All new residents are given a letter of appointment and residents’ handbook explaining their rights and responsibilities.
All Trust residents are encouraged to:-
- live their lives as they see fit, while giving due consideration to neighbours;
- use the residents’ lounges as often as they like;
- organise social events and activities for themselves, forming residents’ associations if needed;
- help Trust staff to manage the housing by getting involved in policy reviews, giving feedback and attending meetings of the Care and Housing Committee.
Facilities and Charges
Our well maintained dwellings provide comfortable, highly affordable living for single people or couples. All dwellings are self contained with separate kitchens & have modern facilities such as central heating & double glazing. Each dwelling has a round the clock alarm call system for emergencies & upstairs flats all benefit from stairlifts. Most developments have surveillance for security. There is a weekly charge to pay of around £110 per week & this includes gas usage, the scheme manager service and, in most cases, water usage (on one of the developments in Yardley the water charge is not included & residents pay the charge direct to the water company).
How to apply
There is a waiting list for our housing. We accept applications from people aged 60 years or over, 50 years if there are exceptional circumstances such as disability. To join the waiting list, applicants need to complete a form that can be completed by clicking here, downloaded for printing and manual completion by clicking here, or requested via our contact page. We prioritise applications according to the circumstances of each applicant, so someone who is threatened with homelessness will be higher on the list than someone who wants to move to be nearer family. We cannot say how long it will take to offer a dwelling to someone, it depends on when vacancies occur and the circumstances of the applicant.